Episode 11 recap: Lin Fang Lu is investigating the cause of Hu Lifan's death.
Ever since Hu Lifan violated Nan Ya, her family has desperately tried to prevent Nan Ya from reporting it to the police, especially Nan Ya's father. He watched his daughter being bullied but had to force her to compromise and marry Hu Lifan. At that time, there was a crackdown, so he was worried that if Nan Ya reported it, Hu Lifan would likely be sentenced to death, and he didn't want to see his family fall apart.
However, not long after, Nan Ya's father died from alcohol poisoning, and rumors of Hu Xiuke's involvement started circulating in the town. Hu Lifan showed no concern for Hu Xiuke's death and was solely focused on Nan Ya. He couldn't let go even if Nan Ya got married, causing a lot of uproar in the city. Three months ago, Hu Lifan suffered from a severe sinusitis and lost his sense of smell. He inexplicably fell into the pool at the Shisanxiang's house and drowned.
Lin Fang Lu and others, through investigation, suspect that Nan Ya and Xu Yi may have conspired to kill Hu Lifan. Nan Ya used to be beautiful and talented, becoming the focus of attention among her classmates. However, her life gradually turned dark after her mother's death when the so-called "stepmother" Hu Xiuyu appeared with her son, Hu Lifan.
Hu Lifan was only slightly older than Nan Ya, but whenever he looked at his half-sister, there was an undeniable evil in his eyes. Originally, Nan Ya had made an appointment with Lin Fang Lu and others to watch the meteor shower, but they were harassed by a drunken gangster on the way. Although Hu Lifan appeared in time and took Nan Ya away, he had long prepared his sinister plan. In the end, Nan Ya's resistance failed, and she endured a shameless violation in the woods.
Afterward, Hu Lifan left triumphantly, leaving Nan Ya walking towards home like a lifeless corpse. At that moment, Nan Ya's father hummed a tune, Hu Xiuyu was in a good mood, and Hu Lifan sat next to them eating noodles. They appeared as a seemingly warm and harmonious family. However, Nan Ya went straight to smash the bowl, turned around, and rushed into the kitchen to grab a knife. Nan Ya's father understood the situation and angrily grabbed a shovel, but Hu Lifan quickly snatched it away and started punching and kicking him.
To prevent Nan Ya from reporting the incident, Hu Xiuyu and her son locked her in the woodshed. Nan Ya's father, knowing that his daughter had been defiled and that he himself had been beaten, still knelt before Hu Xiuyu, begging for forgiveness. That night, while Nan Ya was unconscious, Hu Xiuyu cleaned up the bloodstains and evidence of her son's crime, leaving Nan Ya's father standing at the door, tears falling silently.
The next day, Nan Ya didn't come to school, which caused everyone's curiosity. Lin Fang Lu approached Nan Ya's father to inquire about the situation, but her father, reeking of alcohol, ignored him and lied, saying that Nan Ya was sick and had taken a leave of absence. Meanwhile, Nan Ya was still locked in her room, and her father brought her meals, trying to persuade her not to report the incident. He explained that it was a crackdown period, and if Hu Lifan were caught, he could face the death penalty, which would also shatter their family.
Nan Ya's father hoped that after she graduated, she would marry Hu Lifan. He believed that they had already engaged in a substantial relationship, and if she didn't marry him, no one would want to marry a woman who had lost her virginity. As Nan Ya listened to her father's words, her heart sank to the bottom. She finally understood why her mother had been disappointed in her father and why she hated being born into such a family.
Upon learning about Nan Ya's ordeal, Lin Fang Lu was both shocked and angry. Even Lao Chen found it unbelievable that a small town like Qingshui could harbor such wicked people. It was for this reason that Lin Fang Lu found solace in drinking alone by the bridge, listening to the songs coming from his alma mater and reminiscing about Nan Ya's departure from school.
He despised his own weakness and incompetence for not being able to protect Nan Ya and lacking the courage to take her away from this place of injustice. He feared that making the wrong choice would result in years or even decades of paying the price, and he couldn't afford to take that risk. The next morning, Lin Fang Lu used the photos taken by Xu Jian to locate the restaurant where Xu Yi and Liu Changshui had met.
However, the restaurant had closed down, and the manager revealed that it used to be an auto repair shop. This provided an important clue to Lin Fang Lu: the mechanic Wu Shangui hadn't gone out but had instead moved to the neighboring Furong town, where he got married and opened a mahjong parlor. Lin Fang Lu and Lao Chen personally went to the mahjong parlor to investigate. They learned from Wu Shangui that five years ago, Xu Yi had come here in the middle of the night with a car that needed repair.
During that time, Xu Yi's behavior was peculiar, and he even prevented Wu Shangui from opening the trunk. Based on Wu Shangui's recollection, there was a woman in the car at the time. Lin Fang Lu and Lao Chen speculated that if that person was Nan Ya, it was highly likely that she and Xu Yi had conspired to kill Hu Lifan and dispose of the body in the outskirts.
To divert attention, they would need a ticket inspector to provide an alibi, which coincided with what Xu Jian had mentioned about "concealing an affair." Lin Fang Lu drove along the road to the outskirts and noticed a large lake ahead. His instinct told him that Hu Lifan's body was likely dumped there.
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